Adkins Arboretum Offers Critical Area Property Owners Guidance on Best Landscaping Practices
Two new outreach projects of the Shore Land Stewardship Council (SLSC), an initiative of Adkins Arboretum, provides guidance on best landscaping practices for the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area, the 1000-foot wide area of land around the Bay and its tidal tributaries. These practices contribute to improving the health of the Chesapeake Bay. The Council's recent publication, The Green Book for the Bay: An Illustrated Guidebook for Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Property Owners Living on Maryland's Eastern Shore, and its new First Stop for the Bay Speakers Bureau are aimed at property owners who own, live and work on Critical Area residential properties in the Mid-Shore counties of Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne's and Talbot.
The Green Book for the Bay grew out of a collaboration of professionals and local citizens on Maryland's Eastern Shore who realized that property owners in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area are often confused about both the rules and the process they must follow to be good stewards of the land they own. The book, which was made possible by grants from Town Creek Foundation, Chesapeake Bay Trust, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, includes an overview of regulations and guidance for Critical Area projects; 13 Frequently Asked Questions; the Top 10 Practices for Critical Area Properties; important terms; a listing of resources; and color maps, photographs and illustrations. Case studies of Critical Area property owners reinforce the book's lessons on best landscaping practices.
To compliment the book, SLSC has launched the First Stop for the Bay Speakers Bureau, to provide accurate and consistent information, technical support, and referrals on best landscaping practices in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area to the region's environmental organizations, watershed groups, homeowner associations, realtors, and industry professionals.
According to Carol Jelich, program manager for the Shore Land Stewardship Council, "We are excited to have both of these resources to offer to our communities on the Shore. We are reaching out to property owners in the Critical Area with technical support about making about changes to their properties. This will ultimately impact the Bay in a positive way."
